Queen has remained the ironclad ruler of bombastic rock for two decades. And if the British quartet's latest album is any indication, Queen's reign should continue into the next century.

Want proof? For starters, there's the overblown theatrics of the title track.

A drum flurry kicks off "Innuendo. " After that, the band employs a number of instrumental and vocal shifts plodding rock rhythms, flamenco guitar, operatic vocals to drive home the grand notion to "surrender your ego be free, be free to yourself. "

If you can wade through the pompous muck of such heavy-handed tunes as "Don't Try So Hard," "I Can't Live With You," and "The Show Must Go On," you'll find several songs that are worth the effort.

"Headlong" has a galloping rock beat and a grungy guitar groove that owes a debt to ZZ Top.

Delicately arranged, "These Are the Days of Our Lives" indulges in a bit of delightful, nostalic daydreaming.

And then there's the amusing "Delilah," in which lead vocalist Freddie Mercury pledges his undying love to his cat.

But these songs only account for one-third of the collection, which seems to have been totally inspired by lyrics from "The Show Must Go On": "On with the show/I'll top the bill, I'll overkill."